An Arizona state lawmaker announced she is pregnant with a nonviable fetus and plans to have an abortion, speaking in the state Senate about her experience seeking care in the state.
“Abortion is currently the safest and most appropriate option for me, and I chose it. But the laws imposed by this legislature have limited my ability to do so,” state Sen. Eva Burch, a Democrat, said on the Senate floor Monday.
Burch, who has already given birth to two sons, disclosed that she became pregnant a few weeks ago, defying all expectations. The politician stated that she has had a “rough journey with fertility,” experiencing her first miscarriage 13 years ago and being pregnant several times since then.
However, “numerous” ultrasounds and blood draws revealed that her pregnancy was not viable. She subsequently decided to stop the pregnancy.
Burch claimed she endured an “invasive transvaginal ultrasound” in order to receive care in the state.
“I am safe, loved, and protected in my marriage, but I cannot imagine how inappropriate that would be for a victim of sexual assault or for someone who has an abusive or coercive relationship with their partner—another unwanted vaginal penetration, but this time by the state, by the people who are commissioned to protect us,” Burch said in a statement.
Arizona prohibits abortion beyond 15 weeks, but additional limitations limit patients’ access to care.
To obtain abortion care in the state, patients must make two appointments, the first for an in-person counseling session and the second for the abortion, which must be scheduled at least 24 hours apart.
The Guttmacher Institute claims that even if ultrasounds are not medically necessary, patients must have them, and state Medicaid coverage is severely limited.
Burch claimed that the counseling she received was “a list of absolute disinformation” and that she was told numerous things that did not apply to her case, all because of state regulations.
Trump asserted, similar to rejected lower court arguments, that presidential immunity stems from the Executive Vesting Clause of the Constitution and the separation of powers.
While a unanimous appeals court panel rejected the notion, Trump again urged the justices to accept the idea that only a president convicted by the Senate after impeachment proceedings may face criminal charges.
“The Constitution authorizes the criminal prosecution of a former President, but it builds in a formidable structural check against politically motivated prosecutions by requiring a majority of the House and a supermajority of the Senate to authorize such a dramatic action,” the White House said in a statement. “The Founders thus carefully balanced the public interest in ensuring accountability for presidential wrongdoing against the mortal danger to our system of government presented by political targeting of the Chief Executive.”
The Supreme Court’s decision to hear the case further postpones Trump’s prosecution. Special counsel Jack Smith filed four accusations against Trump in 2020 and again on January 6, 2021, for suspected election interference. The former president has pleaded not guilty and denied all wrongdoing.
We have instructed Smith’s team to submit their own brief on the subject by April 8.
‘Not critical enough’
However, her story didn’t stop there. Burch also confided in her coworkers that this wouldn’t be her initial experience with abortion.
During her state Senate campaign two years ago, Burch shared that she experienced a pregnancy with a nonviable fetus.
On the state Senate floor, Burch expressed her sadness and disappointment over the pregnancy that she and her partner had been actively trying for.
The night before she was supposed to have an abortion, she started to experience a miscarriage. However, despite the fact that the state law allows for exceptions when the mother’s life is in danger, she was denied the procedure at a hospital because they believed her situation was not critical enough, explained Burch.
According to her, implementing a waiting period can be highly inappropriate and even pose potential risks.
According to Burch, she wasted no time in visiting the abortion clinic the following day to receive the necessary care. She revealed that just two weeks later, the abortion clinics were forced to close down after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Burch, in a recent statement, expressed her need for another abortion. Emphasizing the importance of sharing her personal experience, she aims to shed light on how legislative decisions directly affect the lives of ordinary individuals.
Burch voiced her criticism towards laws that impose restrictions on abortion access and urged the legislature to enact laws that empower every resident of Arizona to make the choice that aligns with their own beliefs and circumstances.
According to Burch, the people of Arizona have been let down by the legislature due to restrictive abortion laws and the lack of resources. The laws are seen as controlling and limiting, while the resources are being cut and denied, creating a challenging situation for those in need.
“I really hope that the people of Arizona get the chance to vote on the issue of abortion in the upcoming November elections,” Burch expressed.
